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Andrew Miller was an abomination as a starter, but is a good bullpen arm for Boston now with sky-high Ks.
Hochevar was a waste of space as a starter but immediately on transitioning to the pen became a force.  It's not about pressure - there's something about dudes who simply can't get it together in the rotation who feast off the simplified routine of the pen.
I've been reluctant to bullpen Maurer because a 200 inning starter is more valuable, but we rushed him and keep wanting to use him, and he simply cannot get it together against major league hitters while pitching out of the rotation.  There's nothing wrong with his arm - that's still golden.  We wanted Matt Thornton to be a starter, but once the White Sox made him a reliever and gave him a tweak on his landing leg he was a very good bullpenner for them.
Might as well use Maurer in a way that he seems, at least in early going, to take well to.  Let him be a bullpenner, see what happens. We don't have to let him close for us tomorrow, but I'd love to see Effective Maurer back in the bigs again if and when he comes up. Sometimes you don't have time to wait a few years and hope.  Maurer CAN be effective, and if it takes putting him in a more restrained role to make that happen, then do it.
~G